Salted Caramel Popcorn Olive Oil Brownies

Chocolate and extra virgin olive oil, two ingredients that are good for your heart... So what better to pair them up and create a brownie. It definitely makes me feel better when I reach for a second or third piece!

This is a New York Times recipe and is my go-to brownie. The olive oil helps balance out all the sugar and chocolate and enhances the chocolate flavor. I love this recipe because it is indulgent but not overly sweet and is chewy and fudgy on the inside but crispy on the outside.

It's important to use a mild olive oil in the recipe, any oil that is too robust and sharp in flavor will overpower the chocolate flavor.

How can we make this brownie even more delicious? Top it off with a handful of caramel corn! Other than your dentist... who does not love a crunchy salty and sweet caramel corn? Salted butter and sea salt at the end helps to balance the sweetness from the corn syrup and brown sugar.

Add a scoop of dulce de leche ice cream to make this dessert an even more perfectly balanced treat!

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Ingredients 

Caramel Popcorn 

•  8-10 cups freshly popped popcorn, (about ¼ of kernels or 1 microwavable bag)

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

• 1/2 cup salted butter

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• Flaky Sea Salt

Olive Oil Brownies 

• 6 tablespoons  mild extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing pan

• 3 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• ¾ cup  packed dark brown sugar

• ⅓ cup  granulated sugar

• 1 cup  all-purpose flour

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• ¼ cup boiling water

• ½ cup chocolate chips

•  Flaky sea salt

Recipe

Popcorn

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Lightly spray 2 sheet pans with baking spray. Grease the bottom of a spatula with the baking spray. Spread the popcorn out onto baking sheets. Set aside.

2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, cream of tartar in a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda, vanilla extract and salt. 

3. Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn. Working quickly and carefully, use spatulas to toss the caramel and popcorn together, until the popcorn is well coated.

4. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the pan and break apart large clusters. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Brownies 

1. Heat oven to 350° F.  Grease an 8-by-8-inch square baking dish with some of the olive oil and line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both sides, to lift the brownies out of the pan

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder.In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. 

3. Whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil, melted chocolate, egg and vanilla.Whisk in the brown and granulated sugar, then fold in flour mixture. Then fold in chocolate chips. 

4. Scrape into the prepared pan, and bake until set and firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Once baked, allow it to cool

6. Cut into squares, serve with a scoop of your favorite ice cream and a handful of the caramel popcorn.                                                    

Brownie recipe from NYT

Pumpkin Meringue Cheesecake

Less than a week away from Thanksgiving, and I can barely hold in my excitement. Once it hits November, I get filled with so much joy because there is so much to celebrate!

I started the month by celebrating my birthday with my close friends and family. I went to cocktail making class with my boyfriend which was tons of fun and also a ploy for the best sunrise ever!

After grabbing a $1 slice pizza ( nothing better) , we headed to Korea town where all my friends surprised me. It was truly the best birthday ever!

Once my birthday is over, the holiday planning starts!

In my family, we all have our roles, my mom is to prepare her famous corn pudding and apple tart, my aunt handles pretty much everything else and I am in charge of desserts.

Considering that our dinner is the same every year, I love looking at old and recent newspapers and magazines to gather up as much inspiration I can for what dessert I want to make that year!

This year I decided to use a classic Thanksgiving ingredient, pumpkin! There is no secret that I love cheesecake, so this year I decided to do a meringue pumpkin cheesecake, with a gingersnap crust, instead of a regular pumpkin pie! The spice from the crust really gives this dessert a kick, and the meringue on top is the perfect sweetness and lightness that helps balance the whole cake.

Try it – it is a simple and easy delicious dessert to make.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Ingredients 

Crust

• 3/4 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs, 5 1/2 cookie sheets

• 3/4 cup finely ground gingersnap crumbs, 6-8 small cookies

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted 

Filling

• Two 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 2/3 granulated sugar

• 2 eggs, room temperature

• ¼ cup flour

• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ginger

• salt

Meringue Topping

• 3 egg-whites

• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

• Pinch of kosher salt

Recipe

Crust 

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers, gingersnap cookies, and sugar until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine.

2. Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust 10-12 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Once it's done, take it out of the oven and allow to cool. 

Filling

1. While the crust cools, prepare the filling. 

2. In a clean, the food processor, pulse the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and pumpkin puree, pulse for 30 seconds. Add the eggs and pulse again. Lastly, add the flour, spices, and a pinch of salt and pulse until the filling is smooth and all combined. 

3. Pour the filling into the springform pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until its set and slightly jiggly. 

4. Once it is cooked, allow it to cool completely, then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Meringue Topping

1. Before serving, prepare the meringue. 

2. In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and is hot. 

3.  Transfer the bowl to the standing mixer and beat at medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, then increase speed to high and beat until mixture is stiff.

4. Using a spatula mound meringue either on one half or in the middle, and spread it to the edges. Using a spoon, create mountains and swoops of meringue around the surface. Be creative - you can’t go wrong~

5. Using a culinary torch, hold the torch about a few inches away from the tart, brown the meringue lightly. Alternatively, place the pie in a preheated broiler, watching it carefully, as it will brown very quickly.

Halloween Chocolate Cake

My blog is officially one year old, and I can't believe how fast it's gone by.

I'm so thankful to all of you, my supportive followers! It has been a year of failures and victories, but I have learned so much along the way.

One of my biggest challenges this year was blogging. I love trying out new recipes, and I find myself baking up a storm before even publishing my last recipe, but always end up not writing as much as I would like to! So, one of my goals for this year is to blog more, share a little more about myself, and bring you a little deeper into my kitchen.

Another goal is definitely to cook more. I began this blog intending to recreate classic Portuguese dishes, but end up trying out many other recipes other than Portuguese. I went through a period where I felt like I had let myself down for not sticking to my original inspiration for my blog. Still, I'm happy the way it turned out because I ended up trying out recipes otherwise would never have if I stuck with my initial plan.

I have also been practicing baking and decorating cakes lately. Instagram is filled with cake, making videos that I find myself watching on repeat. They make it look so simple, but in reality, it takes a lot of practice to get at that level, so that's why this year perfecting and delivering easy but creative cakes, like this Halloween one, is another one of my goals.

This Halloween, I chose to bake my favorite chocolate cake, which is frosted with a delicious cream cheese frosting and marshmallows to look like cobwebs. The cake is filled with a raspberry persevere filling, that can easily be substituted for your preferred berry jam I love this combo of flavors, the preserve gives it the right amount of acid to balance out the sweetness of the cake and frosting. Also, the preserves provide a good "bloody" effect that goes well with the Halloween theme!

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Ingredients 

Chocolate Cake

• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 3 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 cup hot coffee

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 16 oz. of cream cheese, room temperature 

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

• 4 ½ cups of confectioners’ sugar

• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

• 1 pinch of salt

• 1 tablespoon of heavy cream

• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

• black and orange food coloring/gel

• 1 bag  marshmallows

Raspberry Filling 

• 1 cup of raspberry preserves

• ¼ cup of fresh or frozen raspberries

Recipe

Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and dust with cocoa powder, set aside.

2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the oil and both sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes.Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat again. 

4. With  the mixer on low, carefully add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stop the mixer, and scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl, making sure there aren’t any unmixed pieces. 

5. With the mixer on low, stream in the hot water. Mix on medium-low until combined.

6. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let them cool on a wire rack before removing the cakes from their pans.

7. Once they are cool enough to handle, carefully remove them from the pans and set them on a wire rack while you make the frosting.

Raspberry Filling

1. Add the raspberry preserves in a small saucepan with the frozen or fresh fruit. Bring it to a boil, or until the fruit has softened, mash the fruit and stir the mixture. Pour it into a separate bowl and allow it to cool completely. 

*  Substitute raspberry for your preferred berry 

Frosting

1. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. 

2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. 

3. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. 

*Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. 

Assemble

1. Take 1 cup of frosting and divided into two small bowls, add about 2-3 drops of orange food coloring to one bowl. In another bowl, add a tablespoon of cocoa powder, and 5-7 drops the black food coloring or gel and mix it.

2. Place one cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly pipe the edge of the cake with non-colored cream cheese frosting, add the raspberry preserves to the center. Top with 2nd layer and repeat the step. Top with the third layer, spread remaining non-colored cream cheese frosting on top and around the cake using a bench scraper or offset spatula.

3.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Take your cake out of the refrigerator and apply the colored frosting around the cake using a small offset spatula. 

4. Melt the marshmallows in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after every interval until the marshmallows are melted and smooth. Allow to cool and then use your hands to stretch/pull the melted marshmallow around the cake to create a spider web. 

Lime Meringue Pie

When I first began to bake, I loved making a few citrus tarts and pies like this one! They turned any dark wintery day, into summer.

The bright citrus flavors, paired with the sweet condensed milk and a graham cracker crust, creates the perfect balance and also an incredibly easy to make dessert. 

As much as I love eating and baking cakes, I find that sometimes a lighter dessert like this is the way to go, especially in the summer! As the summer is going by so quickly, I am taking advantage of catching some rays by the pool and enjoying a piece of this refreshing pie - best served chilled. Also, if you are looking for a quick recipe to make for a BBQ get together, this is the one! It’ll keep your guests cool and going back for seconds. 

 The meringue topping adds a decorative and elegant touch to this pie. I used a blow torch, but if you do not have one, placing your pie under the broiler for a few minutes will create the same effect.

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Ingredients 

Crust

• 10 full graham cracker sheets

• 3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 6 egg yolks, reserve 2 egg-whites for meringue 

• 2 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

• 1 tablespoon lime zest

•  Pinch of kosher salt

Meringue Topping

• 2 egg-whites

• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

• Pinch of kosher salt

Recipe

Crust 

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine.

2. Press the graham cracker crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust 10-12 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Once it's done, take it out of the oven and allow to cool. 

Filling

1. While the crust cools, prepare the filling. 

2. Separate the 6 eggs. Add the egg yolks to a bowl, reserve 2 egg-whites for the meringue. Add the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, zest and a pinch of salt. 

3. Using an electric mixter, beat until all the ingredients are all combined. 

4. Pour mixture into prepared crust, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the center is just slightly jiggly. 

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once the pie is cooled, cover and chill for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator or overnight.

Meringue Topping

1. While the pie is chilling, prepare the meringue mixture.

2. In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and whisk the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and is hot. 

3.  Transfer the bowl to the standing mixer and beat at medium-high speed for about 2 minutes then increase speed to high and beat until mixture is stiff.

4. Scrape the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a ring around the perimeter of the tart or spoon it over the tart and spread with an offset spatula.

5. Using a culinary torch, hold the torch about a few inches away from the tart, brown the meringue lightly. Alternatively, place the tart in a preheated broiler, watching it carefully, as it will brown very quickly.

Chocolate Birthday Cake

Today is a very special day in our household!

It’s my dog, Oliver’s 4th birthday. Oliver came into my life at a low point, and he has brought so much joy, love, and laughter into our lives. We really couldn’t imagine life without him. 

 In honor of his birthday, I am sharing my absolute favorite birthday cake recipe. If you have followed me along, you know how much I love cheesecake.

 Cheesecake has always been my choice of cake for my birthday, but last year I decided that it was time to change it up! So I celebrated my 22nd birthday with this amazing chocolate cake!

 This chocolate cake is the only recipe you’ll ever need. If you aren’t a big cream cheese frosting fan, no worries, use your favorite frosting and follow along with the rest of the recipe to assemble it.

 This rich chocolate cake is an oil-based cake which makes it extra moist and the cream cheese frosting helps balance out the sweetness of the cake thanks to the tanginess from the cream cheese. 

Anytime I bake, Oliver always joins me in the kitchen to scope out the situation, and of course to get a little treat. Cream cheese frosting is something he loves and knows that if he looks at me with those beautiful brown puppy eyes, he will get to lick the bowl!

 So Happy Birthday to the best dog in the world, Oliver! 

Come along and celebrate with a slice of this delicious chocolate cake.

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Ingredients 

Chocolate Cake

• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 3 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 cup hot water

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Two 8oz. Packages of cream cheese, room temperature 

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

• 4 ½ cups of confectioners sugar

• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

• 1 pinch of salt

• 1 tablespoon of heavy cream

• Assorted gel/food coloring

• Assorted candies

Recipe

Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and dust with cocoa powder, set aside.

2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the oil and both sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes.Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat again. 

4. With  the mixer on low, carefully add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stop the mixer, and scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl, making sure there aren’t any unmixed pieces. 

5. With the mixer on low, stream in the hot water. Mix on medium-low until combined.

6. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let them cool on a wire rack before removing the cakes from their pans.

7. Once they are cool enough to handle, carefully remove them from the pans and set them on a wire rack while you make the frosting.

Frosting

1. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. 

2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. 

3. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. 

*Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. 

Assemble

1. Take 1 cup of frosting and divided into two small bowls, add your choice of coloring and mix it.

2. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with non-colored cream cheese frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread remaining non-colored cream cheese frosting on top and around the cake using a bench scraper or spatula.

3.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Take your cake out of the refrigerator, and apply the colored frosting around the cake using again your icing spatula and bench scraper. Top with your assorted candies, if using.